Greetings,

There are several groups in the Gambia working on this issue.  GAMCOTRAP
has been doing educational work for many years and I know their own Isatou
Touray is on this very list.  I don't know if they have e-mail in the
Gambia, but they have an office in Bakau New Town (unless this has changed
since I was last in the Gambia in 1998) 14 Garba Jahumpa Road, phone 49 74
16, FAX 49 59 23.

The group doing "alternative rituals" is APGWA which has an office in
Talinding (Sobeya Skills Center), I am not sure of the current phone
number there.

If anyone is interested in reading my account of the alternative rituals
and of the history of this debate in Gambia, it is included in an edited
volume called "Female 'Circumcision' in Africa:  Culture, Controversy and
Change" (Lynn Rienner 2000).
Best, Ylva Hernlund

On Fri, 6 Oct 2000, Isatou B Kaira wrote:

> Jaye Ceesay wrote:
>
>   I find it real had to deal with it eventhough I am not a victim myself. The
>   mere thought of putting children through this pain and agony just makes me
>   feel real sick. I definitely am pro-culture and tradition but this one has
>   to go. I strongly believe women's voices have not been heard enough on this
>   issue and that more awareness should be created.
>
> Yes Jaye Ceesay, just like most things in our cultures/tradition, this is also another issue
> that people don't want to discuss/talk about. I know that it is a practice that would be very
> difficult to stop but I have always believe that talking about it and educating people about the
> the health hazards involve would be a good start.
>
>  Just a week ago a
>   colleague at work brought the same issue up and you should have seen the
>   excitement on his face as he handed me an article he printed from the
>   Internet on FGM (female circumcision)
>
> Oh yeah they get all excited and brand all Africans as practicing it. One thing that failed to
> come clearly out of this report(in Norway) was the fact that not all Africans practice it. A friend of mine
> just sent me an email telling me to have a look at page 2 of one of the most serious news papers(Aftenposten), where it was mentioned that the Wollofs do practice it and that they only reduced it
> in 1985. Can anybody help me out? Isn't it common knowledge that the Wollofs don't practice it?
>
>
> Omar wrote:
>
> When I first saw the tape, it sent chills through my system, and I was completely spellbound for a while. It is heartless, brutal and barbaric, and it shocks my conscience that baby girls could be subjected to
>   such horrendous suffering and ordeal.
>
> I am so glad that you watched it. That is my challenge to all Gambians who still think that this
> practice should continue. As I said yesterday, it should not only be women issues but also men since
> they are the fathers of these girls that go/would be going through it.
>
> Jennifer:
>
> You asked Omar for what we are going to do about it? I don't know for Omar but I work as a volunteer
> in a youth organisation.  Some members of the organisation had a meeting yesterday with Amnesty International and I got a call yesterday telling me that I was selected as one of the members of a group that is going to look into some of these issues that came up during the program. I really don't know at the moment what we are going to do but we are having a meeting today. I can get to you on that after the meeting. I am going to suggest to the group that we take a look at how serious the report about so many young girls being pressured and how some are even running away from home.
>
> Maybe Omar (as a member of the Gambian Association), can tell us what the Gambian Association would be doing about it? A suggestion I have for the Gambian Association is that they should have a meeting with the mosque to see ways of letting out information to the media. I know is suppose to be freedom of speech and all that but I think one has to be very careful when one is representing a whole society. Especially when we know how shallow and one sided the journalists here can be. Honestly I am getting fed up with all the stupid questions I am getting at work just because some Gambians decided to speak for everybody. They should know that as leaders when they speak, the media takes it as a representation of all Gambians.
>
> Yvla (do I have the spelling right?):
>
> Is it possible to get the names of the associations/groups that are working on this? I called and sent emails to some friends in Gambia yesterday to get names of groups but I still haven't got any reply.
>
> Isatou

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